Hello, I have no idea what I'm doing...I'm trying to record a podcast using a Marantz Professional MPM1000 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone with Windscreen, Shockmount, Tripod Stand and XLR Cable but I'm having real trouble with the sound quality. It sounds "swishy" and I have no idea how to fix it. I'm using Windows 7 and audacity version 2.2.0. I was very careful to make sure that none of the cables cross each other because I read somewhere that could cause an issue.I'm recording at home, and there is local traffic noise so I have the microphone inside a large cardboard box with a blanket draped over it. Should I be setting up padding or something inside the box as well?

The last recording is here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vbwqbtiyklw9 ... 1OkOa?dl=0 (please ignore the silly person shouting in the background, he knows he's getting edited out)Any tips you can offer on how to improve my setup, what settings I ought to be using, what effects I should or shouldn't use, etc would be gratefully received (especially if you can dumb them down for me... I'm not very technical.)

I'm having trouble getting your Project. It's possible DropBox doesn't "know" what those filetypes are. Please Export a WAV (Microsoft) of the work and post that.

However, even without hearing it, Windows, left to its own devices will try to help you by applying voice processing. The voice itself may sound OK, but the background noises and even your breathing sounds may turn into whispering into a wine glass or rain barrel.

Apparently, I'm trying to download the entire half-hour show in WAV. Can you cut down, like select the first minute and File > Export Selected?

I don't have the best internet connection. I have to go out every so often and shoo the birds away from the wires to keep it going.

On some production soundcards, that "devil's adapter" can produce an odd sound file with the left and right sound out of step with each other. In addition to all the other problems called out by Steve above, you could have a show which will not play on mono players or music systems that mix down to mono and don't tell you.

It's particularly evil because if you send a show to five clients, for example, one or two may write back that you sent them a silent show. The others are just fine with it.

???

You can go round and round for days trying to figure out what's happening. It's a damaged sound file that's not obviously damaged.

I listened to a podcast a day or two ago that was recorded with this damage. On my music system, the performer sounded like she was standing behind me. That's another oddity of this problem.